


A Welcome To The Jungle

by Ivanna_panda13



Category: MASH (TV)
Genre: 1950s, Bisexual Male Character, Korean War, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-16
Updated: 2020-11-16
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:01:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,896
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27595193
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ivanna_panda13/pseuds/Ivanna_panda13
Summary: The day Trapper met Hawkeye Pierce
Relationships: "Trapper" John McIntyre/Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pierce
Comments: 1
Kudos: 23





	A Welcome To The Jungle

**Author's Note:**

> I just really wanted to write Trapper and Hawk's first day meeting

Dirt, mountains, and bare land that ran for miles and miles was what made South Korea. It was perfect for the folks who lived here, farmers with animals on their land, little children running around in fields of tall grass near their huts. While it was perfect for the Korean folk, it was the last place a large group of American nurses and doctors wanted to be. Especially a chest cutter surgeon in a clean-cut military officer uniform, showing everyone in this drop off compound he was a captain (but against his will). Sitting on some stacked crates, the curly blonde man groaned under his breath as he saw all the military officers. They appear so happy to be in the middle of a war, fighting for their country. Regular army trying to convince draftees about the joy of serving for the United States Army. That they were going to become great soldiers in the end. That was the mistake in all of this. No matter what rank he was given, Captain McIntyre was not a U.S soldier. He was Dr. John McIntyre, a regular guy from Boston with two young girls back home who got unlucky when the military draft board found him. Soon a green jeep, driving down the gravel road like a mad man, halted right in front of him. A young man with thin metal circle glasses jumped out, heading straight towards McIntyre with a clipboard in hand. The young man gave the Captain a salute with a timid smile, McIntyre popping in a stick of gum in his mouth. 

"You don't have to do the whole salute thing, kid. Just 'cause I have the ranking doesn't mean I care," McIntyre said, popping a bubble. 

"Oh sorry, Captain, Sir. Oh," the timid young man said, looking down at his clipboard. "Doctor McIntyre," 

"You can call me McIntyre, young man. Are you my magical carriage to the hospital unit?" asked McIntyre. 

"Uh yes sir! The name's Radar, by the way, sir. I can take your bag for you," said Radar. 

"Nah, it's fine, Radar. Nothing I can handle," said McIntyre, tossing his two suitcases in the back of the green jeep, Radar following back to the driver's seat. McIntyre hopped right into the passenger seat, taking off his captain hat as he ruffled the hat hair. He jerked back when Radar slammed the gas pedal, gripping tightly to anything to not fly right out of the jeep. The way Radar drove was a crazy introduction to what kind of people the M*A*S*H 4077 had to offer. "So uh, why do you call yourself Radar?!" McIntyre yelled out. 

"Oh I can hear when somethings about to happen before others! Like the choppers coming near the base!" Radar yelled out, taking a sharp turn down the curves of the gravel road. 

"Cool it, kid, before I swallow my gum!" said McIntyre with a bit of humor. 

"Oh sorry, sir," said Radar, slowing down a bit. "I didn't get much practice driving back home before the draft," This slightly tugged McIntyre in the heartstrings, staying silent as the 4077 came closer into view. For being set up only a short time ago, McIntyre was impressed by what was already up and running, fellow soldiers walking around the camp. Radar soon pulled up in front of the hospital, seeing four other soldiers waiting for McIntyre's arrival, a blondie to his surprise. McIntyre was quick to notice the difference between one of the men compared to the other three. A tall, dark-haired man who was nowhere close to following uniform protocol, hands in his pockets, while the man next to him was an R.A's wet dream. The brunette couldn't help but squint at McIntyre as they got closer, almost as if he was racking his brain. McIntyre hopped right out of the jeep, fixing his military jacket as his three new comrades saluted him right away. The brunette only gave a quick wave as he kept the face of confusion and wonder, McIntyre putting his field cap back on. Radar racing over to fetch McIntyre's bags and clipboard, saluting everyone before reading off the thin piece of wood.

"Colonel, Majors, and Captain, I introduce Captain John McIntyre," announced Radar, McIntyre growing uncomfortable with the formality. 

"Welcome to the MASH 4077, Captain McIntyre! I'm Colonel Henry Blake. Head surgeon," said Colonel Blake, a nerve in his voice, shifting away from his salute. 

"Yo," said McIntyre, faking a salute with his right hand against his face, twiddling his fingers. This gained a chuckle from the brunette, McIntyre smiling at him. _'Pretty cute,'_ McIntyre thought, popping his gum loud as he glanced up and down at him.

"Captain, I know it's your first day, but you must salute your high ranking officers. I am Major Margret Houlihan, head nurse," said Major Houlihan with a professional smile, saluting McIntyre. McIntyre continued to give a simple wave at the major, earning a glare from the woman.

"And I'm Major Frank Burn, fellow surgeon," said Major Burns, standing the straightest of all. 

"And who're you Mr. Blue eyes?" asked McIntyre, gesturing towards the brunette. 

"Well I was the tallest in this whole camp, but looks like I have to pass the crown, Shirley Temple," said the brunette, extending out a hand when he earned a chuckle. "Hawkeye Pierce. A proud surgeon and sadly a captain," 

McIntyre accepted with a crooked smile, glad to see some normalcy. "Hawkeye?" asked McIntyre, crooking an eyebrow.

"A nickname my father gave him from the only book he ever read. The Last of The Mohicans. Ya got a nickname or just a last name kind of guy, McIntyre?" 

"Trapper. Everyone can call me Trapper or McIntyre. I'm not a fan of this captain mumbo jumbo," said Trapper, seeing the sour face of Frank. 

"I'll have you know this 'mumbo jumbo' is a sacred institution of the United States of America! We're serving the American military, Captain!" exclaimed Frank, his non-existent lips disappearing even more. 

"Serving is if you choose to come here. Last time I checked, I was dragged out of my comfy bed and got slapped with this Captain badge," said Trapper, raising his voice as if he were back in Boston, ready for a fight. "I'm not a soldier by any means,"

"Easy, Frank. It's McIntyre's first day. Let's just give him some slack on formalities and welcome him in. I'm sure you've had a long trip, Trapper," said Henry, moving closer to Trapper, patting him on the shoulder. "Dismissed Majors," 

"But, Sir!" said Margret, raising her voice as Frank's seemed to disappear.

"You two, please just leave," begged Henry, shaking his head as Frank and Margeret stormed off together like angry chickens. "I hope that didn't sour your welcome party?" 

"Oh gee whiz, I get a welcome party?" asked Trapper sarcastically, mocking a childish tone. Henry and Hawkeye chuckling at Trapper's joke.

"Yeah everyone gets one. A nice little facade to this boring place," said Hawkeye, waving his hand as he looked up at the blue sky. "Come on, let's show you to your room. It's a five-star place, built it myself," Hawkeye, hooking his hand right around Trapper's shoulders. _'Built and tall,'_ Hawkeye thought, smiling at the man. 

"Radar, _take McIntyre's_ __bag_ s to Captain Pierce's tent, _will ya? I'll be in my office," said Henry.

" _Take McIntyre's bags to Captain Pierce's tent,_ yes sir," said Radar in almost complete unison with Henry, already on his footsteps to Trapper's new house. Trapper couldn't help but stare at Radar, getting a better understanding of why he gained the nickname. 

"My office isn't far, just right through those doors if you have any questions," said Henry to Trapper, patting his shoulder. 

"Yeah, I have one. Does that kid always do that?" asked Trapper in a whisper as if Radar could still hear.

Henry shrugged his shoulders. "I'm starting to think he does. I've only had him as my clerk for over a month now. Anyway, don't worry about this place. Hawk will treat ya just fine," said Henry, smiling warmly at Hawkeye and Trapper before disappearing into his office. 

"Come along Dear Trapper," said Hawkeye, leading Trapper with his arm still around the taller man. Trapper didn't seem to care about this, enjoying the hospitality so far.

* 

"Did you really build this place?" asked Trapper to Hawkeye, looking around the small tent, stuffing a few things in his new rusty footlocker. It didn't take long for Trapper to get the hell out of his military uniform, draping himself in all khaki, much to his disgust. Hawkeye sat beside his thin cot on what looked like an old dentist chair, loathing the canvas around them. 

"To a point. I'm a doctor, not a handyman," said Hawkeye with a smile. "So, Trapper, tell the class a little about yourself," said Hawkeye, pulling out a whiskey bottle from under his bed with two glasses. He poured enough for each other, offering a drink to Trapper. Unexpectedly to Hawkeye, Trapper clinked their glasses for a cheer to their new life. 

Trapper sipped on the drink, pleased with the taste. "What would you like to know?" asked Trapper, sitting down on this thin cot. 

"How old are you? Where are you from? Are you a happily married man in the middle of a war?" asked Hawkeye, not breaking piercing eye contact. 

Trapper smirked at the last part, taking another sip of the whiskey. "I'm 30. From the middle of Boston. And married yes, but happily is a different question. What about you?"

"31. I'm from a small town off the coast of Maine, and I'm a happily unmarried man," smiled Hawkeye, the corners of his eyes crinkling up whenever he did. It was something Trapper noticed right away from the 30 minutes of knowing the man. "I've been around Boston. Had my residency there," 

"Ay, no kidding! Did you enjoy the place while you were there?" 

"To my surprise, it was better than expected. I always found Boston men to be quiet the wisecracks to an overly high degree," 

"That's Boston men for ya. We always like to be the first to say a wisecrack when the chance arrives," said Trapper with a smile. 

"Where were you for your residency if we didn't have the pleasure of running into each other as little doctors?"

"New Hampshire. Dartmouth. Would've been nice having a familiar face in here," 

Hawkeye looked up in thought, tilting his head as if he needed a better signal to remember. "Dartmouth. Played football against them back in Maine. Maybe we did meet at one point. Passing each other at a game," suggested Hawkeye.

Trapper couldn't help but keep the smirk, shrugging a shoulder with suave. "Hey eh, how come you're not married? If ya don't mind me asking," 

"The closest person I had that made the idea of marriage appear fun, left because I took too long," said Hawkeye with a hint of melancholy. "But it was for the best. I don't think I could handle being here and married. No offense," 

Trapper chuckled dryly, gulping the last of the whiskey in his glass. "Absolutely none taken. It was leaving my two little girls behind that stung the most. The only thing that keeps me going," 

"Make sure you remind yourself that every day. I hear it's good for the mind," said Hawkeye with a smile, Trapper matching it. "But how would I know I'm not a doctor," Trapper chuckled at Hawkeye's joke.

"I'll drink to that if you have more whiskey," said Trapper, raising the dirty glass. 

"No can do my good sir. I need to salvage all I can with this one bottle until further notice. Henry's already trying to get what he can with his Colonel status and from his Mrs.," said Hawkeye, slowly sipping his whiskey. 

"Why don't you make some homebrew right here?" asked Trapper, scrunching his brows together as if this was common knowledge. Hawkeye flashed a confused frown but still had an open ear. "It's pretty easy for some liquor," 

"Now what madman told you it was easy to distill alcohol in your own tent in the middle of Korea?" 

"There were a few things I picked up in Dartmouth! One being gin is the first easy alcohol to make. Juniper gin to be exact! All we need is to get some metal things and build it ourselves!" said Trapper standing up excitedly from his cot, slamming the glass on a low wooden shelf between two cots.

"You haven't even been here a day and already showing off your building skills, macho man," said Hawkeye, a twinkle in his eyes as he looked up at the taller man. Trapper shot a crooked smile, bringing his arm up to flex what muscles he had. Hawkeye tried his hardest not to gawk, impressed with the man's physic. 

"Come on it'll be fun! Some kind of bond exercise for us captains. Maybe that Major guy would want to help out. He looks like he needs a drink," said Trapper, happy to hear an excited giggle from Hawkeye. 

"Firstly I doubt Frank even drinks and second," said Hawkeye, jumping up from his seat, slapping his hands on Trapper's shoulders. "I'm in! What do we need?" 

"Can't remember everyone off the top of my head, but I'll write to one of my old college buddies. I'm sure he has it written down somewhere," said Trapper. 

"Oh great, we'll have gin by Christmas!" 

"The mail really takes that long?" asked Trapper, Hawkeye nodding. "Do ya want the gin or not?" 

Hawkeye chuckled. "Yes, but you can write to whomever later. Let me show you around our little camp. Where we have a lovely ray of nurses to cuddle with. Do you have a particular type?" asked Hawkeye, leading Trapper out of their tent. 

Trapper pursed his lips out for a moment, debating on how to answer. Hawkeye seemed like a layback man who enjoyed a joke. Maybe Trapper could say anything to his new friend. "A mix of brunettes, blue eyes, and a smile that can warm the coldest of hearts. If I happen to find one with all those three I think I might have to call my wife," said Trapper, side-eyeing Hawkeye with a smirk, wondering how this flamboyant man could respond. 

"You should probably write your wife after you write your college buddy," said Hawkeye, squeezing Trapper's shoulder. Trapper didn't say anything, only hanging his head to hide to grin as the two continued their stroll down the camp. Hawkeye bit the inside of his cheek, having the moment of excitement since being drafted. 

Hawkeye introduced new faces to Trapper, like a priest named Father Mulcahy and a corporal named Klinger, who oh so desperately wanted a section-8. The 4077 MASH was proving to be quite a colorful place, even with the one shade of green. As day turned into night, Trapper's form of a welcome party soon began in the mess tent. Henry placed his bottles of liquor on a wooden bench while Radar fixed the glasses for everyone. Trapper was surprised how many people here weren't in the regular army mindset, the majority lax as they could be. A group of kind nurses gathered around Hawkeye and Trapper, joking how they seemed so fit together already. 

"Are you two gonna be causing us any trouble?" asked a short nurse named Kellye. 

"I can already see it," joked another nurse named Ginger.

"Trouble? Me? I just got here! I know nothing about causin' trouble on the first day!" teased Trapper, shooting all the nurse's his award-winning smile. "Besides Hawk and I have only just met. Maybe ask again in two weeks?" said Trapper, leaning closer to Hawkeye as he held the man's jaw between his hand, squeezing Hawkeye's cheeks. The nurses only giggled with Trapper's jokes, knowing how well they were correct on these two doctors. The first day of being a captain was nothing as Trapper anticipated, not being a long shot. While he was still far away from his family back in Boston, thinking about his two little girls, there was one plus side distraction in Korea. 

After two months of being settled in and seeing the ways of war, Hawkeye and Trapper clinked their new martini glasses together in complimentary robes, tasting their homemade gin after a long shift of surgery. They both winced at the strong taste but still knew this was what can help take the edge off. Music playing in the background of their shared radio, the military proving to pick horrible music. Trapper carefully dropped himself on Hawkeye's cot, looking out at a small group of G.I's playing football, Hawkeye joining him. Most of the tent's canvas was dropped, giving leeway for Trapper to comfortably lean into Hawkeye, shutting his eyes for a moment. 

"Wake me when the war's over. I'll call the cab to take us back to Boston," mumbled Trapper, drifting away to the sound of the music, sipping the homemade poison. 

"Will do my good man. Maybe let's head to Crabapple right after we wake up from our 100-year nap," said Hawkeye, leaning his cheek on top of Trapper's curls. They were able to enjoy the few things the war brought them, even if it was a crumble. 


End file.
